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Marilyn L. Delinger of Powell passed away on July 21, 2024 at Spirit Mountain Hospice House in Cody following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 79.
Marilyn was born on Dec. 31, 1944 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to George and Blanche (Myhill) Johnson.
She spent her high school years at Wisconsin Academy in Madison. She was not only the valedictorian of her class, but a standout athlete who could keep up with any of the boys.
Marilyn went on to obtain a master’s degree in nutrition and served as a professor of nutrition and dietetics at Southern Adventist University, Loma Linda University and Andrews University. She was also a member of the association now known as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
It was while she was teaching at Loma Linda University that she met her future husband, John. They were married in Calimesa, California, on June 19, 1977.
John’s service as a pastor took the couple across the country. They lived in California, North Carolina, Alaska and Montana before reaching Wyoming.
Marilyn also served in ministry, spending 12 years as the children’s ministries coordinator for the Montana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
In her free time, Marilyn’s hobbies included collecting pins and stuffed animals, including water creatures. She was also an avid reader, closing out many days by reading a book in bed.
Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, George and Blanche Johnson, her brother David Johnson, and her sisters, Janet Cobb and Delores Ferree.
She is survived by her husband, John, of Powell; her son Jonathan Delinger of Powell; and her son Timothy and his wife Lynn Delinger of Cherry Valley, California.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28 at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1350 N. Gilbert St. in Powell. Pastor Casey Higgins will officiate, with music provided by Marilyn’s nephew and nieces, Brennan, Kaelle and Hanneh Opitz, on cello and viola.
A luncheon will follow the service.
